MHCC:创世记 12

<赵威叔叔你猜何叶怎么弄成的这签名，迈克叔叔你也猜猜看。何叶真聪明!O(∩_∩)O~>

Chapter 12第十二章

God calls Abram, and blesses him with a promise of Christ. (1-3) 上帝呼召亚伯兰，以基督的应许作为对他的祝福。（1-3）

Abram departs from Haran. (4,5)亚伯兰离开哈兰。（4,5）

He journeys through Canaan, and worships God in that land. (6-9)他到达迦南，并在那地敬拜上帝。(6-9)

Abram is driven by a famine into Egypt, He feigns his wife to be his sister. (10-20) 亚伯兰因饥荒而下到埃及，并谎称他的妻子是他的妹妹。(10-20)

Verses 1-3 God made choice of Abram, and singled him out from among his fellow-idolaters, that he might reserve a people for himself, among whom his true worship might be maintained till the coming of Christ. From henceforward Abram and his seed are almost the only subject of the history in the Bible. Abram was tried whether he loved God better than all, and whether he could willingly leave all to go with God. His kindred and his father's house were a constant temptation to him, he could not continue among them without danger of being infected by them. Those who leave their sins, and turn to God, will be unspeakable gainers by the change. The command God gave to Abram, is much the same with the gospel call, for natural affection must give way to Divine grace. Sin, and all the occasions of it, must be forsaken; particularly bad company. Here are many great and precious promises. All God's precepts are attended with promises to the obedient. 1. I will make of thee a great nation. When God took Abram from his own people, he promised to make him the head of another people. 2. I will bless thee. Obedient believers shall be sure to inherit the blessing. 3. I will make thy name great. The name of obedient believers shall certainly be made great. 4. Thou shalt be a blessing. Good men are the blessings of their country. 5. I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee. God will take care that none are losers, by any service done for his people. 6. In thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Jesus Christ is the great blessing of the world, the greatest that ever the world possessed. All the true blessedness the world is now, or ever shall be possessed of, is owing to Abram and his posterity. Through them we have a Bible, a Saviour, and a gospel. They are the stock on which the Christian church is grafted.

1-3上帝选择了亚伯兰，把他从同时代的拜偶像的人中挑选出来。上帝要为自己预备一个民族，使他的纯正信仰能够在这个民族中延续下去，直到基督的到来。从此以后，亚伯兰和他的那位子孙几乎成了《圣经》历史中的仅有的主角。亚伯兰受到试炼，看他是否爱上帝甚于一切，是否愿意与上帝同行而撇下一切。他的亲属和他父亲的房子，构成对他的持续诱惑，在他们中间，就难免有被他们影响的危险。那些离开自己的罪恶，转向上帝的人，能够获得无法形容的巨大改变。上帝给亚伯兰的命令，与福音的呼召何其相似，因为人天然的情感，必须为上帝的恩典让路。罪，以及一切相关的事情，都应该被抛弃，尤其要脱离罪恶的团体。这里有一些伟大而宝贵的应许。所有上帝的诫命都伴随着应许。1“我必叫你成为大国。”当上帝将亚伯兰从他的民族中带出来的时候，他应许他将成为另一个民族的起头。2“我必赐福给你。”顺服的信徒必然承受祝福。3我要“叫你的名为大”。顺服的信徒的名字必然成为伟大。4“你也要叫别人得福”。义人是他们所在的国的祝福。5“为你祝福的，我必赐福与他；那咒诅你的，我必咒诅他。”上帝不会让那些为他的子民提供帮助的人蒙受任何损失。6“地上的万族都要因你得福。”耶稣基督是这个世界最伟大的祝福，是这个世界所拥有过的最伟大的祝福。无论过去、现在还是未来，这个世界一切真正的祝福都应该归功于亚伯拉罕和他的子孙。通过他们，我们有了一本《圣经》，有了一位救主，有了福音。他们是树干，从这树干上，长出了基督教。

Verses 4-5 Abram believed that the blessing of the Almighty would make up for all he could lose or leave behind, supply all his wants, and answer and exceed all his desires; and he knew that nothing but misery would follow disobedience. Such believers, being justified by faith in Christ, have peace with God. They hold on their way to Canaan. They are not discouraged by the difficulties in their way, nor drawn aside by the delights they meet with. Those who set out for heaven must persevere to the end. What we undertake, in obedience to God's command, and in humble attendance on his providence, will certainly succeed, and end with comfort at last. Canaan was not, as other lands, a mere outward possession, but a type of heaven, and in this respect the patriarchs so earnestly prized it.

4-5亚伯兰相信，全能者的祝福能够弥补一切他所损失的、撇下的，满足他一切的需求，乃至超过他的所求所想。而且他知道，如果不顺服，那么带来的只能是悲惨的境遇。这样相信的人，就因着信在基督里称义，获得上帝的平安。他们重新踏上通往迦南之路。他们没有被路上的困难吓倒，也没有被途中的各种让人愉悦的事情吸引。那些为了天国而出发的人必须坚持到底。如果我们按照上帝的命令行事，对他的恩典保持前辈的态度，那么我们必然会成功，将获得最终的安慰。迦南和其他的地方不同，不仅仅是一种外在的财富，它还预表着天堂，正是从这个方面讲，那些族长们才如此真诚地追求迦南。

Verses 6-9 Abram found the country peopled by Canaanites, who were bad neighbours. He journeyed, going on still. Sometimes it is the lot of good men to be unsettled, and often to remove into various states. Believers must look on themselves as strangers and sojourners in this world, hebrews 11:8,13,14 . But observe how much comfort Abram had in God. When he could have little satisfaction in converse with the Canaanites whom he found there, he had abundance of pleasure in communion with that God, who brought him thither, and did not leave him. Communion with God is kept up by the word and by prayer. God reveals himself and his favours to his people by degrees; before, he had promised to show Abram this land, now, to give it to him: as grace is growing, so is comfort. It should seem, Abram understood it also as a grant of a better land, of which this was a type; for he looked for a heavenly country, hebrews 11:16 . As soon as Abram was got to Canaan, though he was but a stranger and sojourner there, yet he set up, and kept up, the worship of God in his family. He not only minded the ceremonial part of religion, the offering of sacrifice; but he made conscience of seeking his God, and calling on his name; that spiritual sacrifice with which God is well pleased. He preached concerning the name of the Lord; he taught his family and neighbours the knowledge of the true God, and his holy religion. The way of family worship is a good old way, no new thing, but the ancient usage of the saints. Abram was rich, and had a numerous family, was now unsettled, and in the midst of enemies; yet, wherever he pitched his tent, he built an altar: wherever we go, let us not fail to take our religion along with us.

6-9亚伯兰发现，他的邻居——那些迦南地的居民，都不是好邻居。他的旅程还在继续。好人往往被命定是不安定的，他们会迁居到许多不同的国家。信徒们在世界上应该将自己视为异乡人，视为寄居者（希伯来书11：8,13,14）。但是，我们会注意到，亚伯兰在上帝那里得到了多大的安慰。他在与他所遇到的迦南人的交往中，他得不到什么满足，但是在与上帝交通时，他获得了巨大的喜乐。正是这位上帝将他带到这里，并且没有离弃他。与上帝的交通是通过读他的圣言和祈祷来实现的。上帝总是逐步地将他自己以及他的爱启示给属于他的人。以前，上帝答应将这地指示给亚伯兰看，现在他将这地赐予他。恩典就是这么不断地增加，他的安慰也是如此。看起来应该是这样的，亚伯兰知道上帝要赐他一块更好的土地，眼下的迦南只是一个预表；因为他仰望一个属天的国度（参希伯来书11:16）。亚伯兰一达到迦南，他就在自己的家中建立并保持了对上帝的崇拜，虽然，他在那地仅仅是一个异乡人、寄居者。他不仅留心信仰的仪式、奉献的祭物；而且他有意识地寻求上帝，呼求他的名，这种心灵的献祭是上帝所喜悦的。他传扬主的名，向他的家人、邻居讲解关于这位真神、关于他的神圣信仰的知识。家庭里的敬拜是一种古老而美好的方式，它不是什么新事物，而是圣徒们一种古老的习惯。亚伯兰非常富有，他有很多家庭成员，但是他没有定居下来，而是寄居在仇敌中间。他在哪里扎下帐篷，他就在哪里筑一座祭坛；我们无论走到哪里，都不可背弃我们的信仰。

Verses 10-20 There is no state on earth free from trials, nor any character free from blemishes. There was famine in Canaan, the glory of all lands, and unbelief, with the evils it ever brings, in Abram the father of the faithful. Perfect happiness and perfect purity dwell only in heaven. Abram, when he must for a time quit Canaan, goes to Egypt, that he might not seem to look back, and meaning to tarry there no longer than needful. There Abram dissembled his relation to Sarai, equivocated, and taught his wife and his attendants to do so too. He concealed a truth, so as in effect to deny it, and exposed thereby both his wife and the Egyptians to sin. The grace Abram was most noted for, was faith; yet he thus fell through unbelief and distrust of the Divine providence, even after God had appeared to him twice. Alas, what will become of weak faith, when strong faith is thus shaken! If God did not deliver us, many a time, out of straits and distresses which we bring ourselves into, by our own sin and folly, we should be ruined. He deals not with us according to our deserts. Those are happy chastisements that hinder us in a sinful way, and bring us to our duty, particularly to the duty of restoring what we have wrongfully taken or kept. Pharaoh's reproof of Abram was very just: What is this that thou hast done? How unbecoming a wise and good man! If those who profess religion, do that which is unfair and deceptive, especially if they say that which borders upon a lie, they must expect to hear of it; and they have reason to thank those who will tell them of it. The sending away was kind. Pharaoh was so far from any design to kill Abram, as he feared, that he took particular care of him. We often perplex ourselves with fears which are altogether groundless. Many a time we fear where no fear is. Pharaoh charged his men not to hurt Abram in any thing. It is not enough for those in authority, that they do not hurt themselves; they must keep their servants and those about them from doing hurt.

10-20世界上没有一个国家能避免灾难，也没有哪种性格能避免瑕疵。全地之中最富庶的迦南地也有饥荒；信心之父亚伯兰也携带着不信与罪恶。完全的喜乐与完全的纯洁只有在天堂里才有。当亚伯兰不得不暂时离开迦南，下到埃及的时候，他没有往回看，而且他立定心志，决不在埃及做无必要的过长逗留。在埃及，亚伯兰掩盖了自己与撒莱的真实关系，他在这方面支吾其词，并且让他的随从们也这么做。他隐瞒真相，并企图否认真相，结果使他的妻子和埃及人都暴露在罪中。亚伯兰最大的美德是他的信心；但是，即使在上帝向他显现两次之后，他依然因为对上帝的眷顾的不信而失败到这样的程度。唉，连亚伯兰那样的坚强的信心尚且会动摇，那些脆弱的信心会怎样呢？若非上帝一次又一次地将我们从困苦的深渊中救拔，（我们因为我们的罪恶与愚蠢将自己带入痛苦的深渊），我们必将败坏。他不以我们的不好待我们。他的那些令人愉快的惩罚使我们避免走上罪恶之路，把我们带回到自己的本职，尤其是使被我们错误持守的本职得到恢复。法老对亚伯兰的斥责充满正义：“你这向我做的是什么事呢？”亚伯兰这位智慧而善良的人竟然干了这么不得体的事！一个公开自己的信仰的人，如果他做了不义的、虚伪的事情，特别是他如果撒谎，那么他必然会得到这样的斥责。另外，他完全有理由该感谢那些斥责他的人。法老送走亚伯兰时是友好的。他根本没打算杀死亚伯兰，因为他对亚伯兰心存敬畏，而且，他还特别地厚待亚伯兰。我们常常被自己的一些毫无根据的担心而困扰（就像下埃及时的亚伯兰一样）。我们常常在不必担心的时候担心。法老命令他的民不得在任何事上伤害亚伯兰。当权者仅仅做到自己不伤害别人还是不够的，而应该使自己的手下以及和他有关的人也都不做伤害的事。--【译】赵威&（搬）何叶^-^~2012年3月22日(四)17:27 (CST)